Balancing Without a Net
by EmruasCat
Summary: It had occured to Harry that sprouting a cat's ears and tail overnight should seem strange, but being romantically pursued by two of the Founders of Hogwarts was just the icing on the cake.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfiction.

Author's note: The muses for all of my crossovers have decided to hide from me…so here's an AU that got stuck in my head a couple of years ago that I wrote down in a notebook, forgot about, and rediscovered recently when going through all of my old notebooks that I used to write my fanfics in before I got my own laptop. Enjoy.

*By the way, this story completely ignores Sirius' death and the Horcruxes. That's why it's Alternate Universe – for that, and, you know, time travel.

Warnings: Abuse – physical, sexual, and emotional. Male/Male slash.

Chapter 1

Harry Potter was not a happy bunny.

This in and of itself was not unusual. However, Harry had woken at three in the morning with burning pain on the top of his head, his lower back, and, oddly, his fingernails. After nearly an hour of suffering this in silence, the pain had abruptly stopped, leaving him feeling shaky and exhausted. Harry had stumbled into the bathroom, and had been staring at himself in the mirror with wide eyes since.

A pair of black, cat-like ears sat on top of Harry's head. He swallowed hard, and lifted his now-shoulder-length hair to check for human ears. Nope. The transformation was real, then. Something brushed the backs of his knees, and Harry looked down to see a black cat's tail swishing behind him. He felt behind him, and discovered that the tail originated about two and a half inches above his butt – he had found the source of his earlier back pain. He was relieved the tail wasn't lower – he should be able to wear pants without too much trouble.

Experimentally, Harry tried to move his tail, and was relieved that it responded the same way his arms and legs did. He wrapped his tail around his waist, and tried to think about what to do about this latest oddity in his life.

"Boy!" Petunia's voice shrieked up the stairs. "Get up!"

Harry stared at his changed reflection and breathed out softly, "Shit."

***

An hour later, Harry stumbled back up the stairs bruised and bleeding, his aunt's scream ringing in his ears: "Write that freak Headmaster of yours NOW!"

Harry had been kidnapped by Death Eaters during Christmas break of his fifth year, and brought to another house owned by Riddle, where the snake-like creature that had once been the mighty Lord Voldemort challenged him to another duel. Harry spent most of the time dodging frantically, as he didn't know even a quarter of the Dark spells that were being flung at him, and thus did not know how to counter them. The more he dodged, the angrier Riddle got, and the flashier the curses became – finally attracting the attention of the Aurors searching for him and the Order of the blasted Phoenix that Dumbledore had not seen fit to tell him about until after the fight. When the Order and the Aurors had burst in and distracted the Death Eaters and Voldemort, Harry had cast the most powerful attack spell he knew: Fira.

Voldemort promptly caught on fire – a fire he could not put out by magical or normal means. Harry had watched in silence, ignoring the shouts of Aurors and screams of pain from the Death Eaters as their Dark Marks burned as well. He had watched until Voldemort crumpled to the ground, still screaming in agony, and he continued to watch until the body was still and there was silence from the fighters of the "Light" sides and "Dark" sides alike. Harry found out later that the Fira spell hadn't worked for any witch or wizard in the past three hundred years – until Harry. Harry had read in the book he found the spell in that it was designed so that one whose only intent was to help others could cast it, and was mildly disgusted by the fact that it took three hundred years for a fighter who cared for others more than himself to appear. The fact that he had never seen Dumbledore use the spell was telling.

Harry had been forced back to the Dursleys the summer following Voldemort's defeat, and now this summer after sixth year as well. Dumbledore's manipulation and outright greed had become clear to Harry as soon as he'd forced Harry to return to his Aunt the summer after fifth year; he didn't dare write the old man for help in the latest complications of his life, for fear of being further used to increase Dumbledore's already formidable power. The purpose of the Order of the Phoenix had been well-advertised in the _Daily Prophet_ after Harry's final confrontation with Voldemort, and its vigilante members were hailed as heroes – "The Boy-Who-Lived's faithful guardians and defenders of peace" – as it was printed in article after article, when Harry had seen nothing of said guardianship until the last battle.

Harry was no longer speaking to Ron; the boy had been too open with his bragging about his earlier adventures with Harry, and Harry had seen him for the pawn of Dumbledore that Ron truly was. Even more bitter to Harry was the fact (learned from a small garter snake that happened to be near a certain conversation) that Dumbledore was encouraging Ron to control all of all Harry's public actions as a famed Hero (capital letter hated and despised by Harry) – and that Ron was taking payment from Dumbledore to do so. Harry would not stand for political manipulation from his so-called best friend any more than he would from the hated Umbridge; he confronted Ron, several hexes were thrown, and Ron struck out on his own, using the media to gain his own fame while Harry fled into the shadows as much as he could.

He didn't dare write Sirius – the animagus was still in hiding as Wormtail had not been caught yet – but the other loyal Marauder might be able to help. Remus was teaching DADA again this year; if anyone would know what had happened to Harry, the gentle werewolf would.

Once Harry's letter to Remus was complete, he looked contemplatively at the parchment in front of him, then penned another letter, this one to the Weaseley twins, asking if they'd mind sharing the apartment above their joke shop for a bit until he found his own place. He didn't want to stay with the Dursleys now that he was of age any longer than he had to.

***

The twins' reply came first; Harry was, of course, welcome whenever he wished, and could use the accompanying Portkey as soon as he was ready to come. Harry turned the Ton-Tongue Toffee over in his fingers and smirked, reminded of the events before his fourth year. Now all he had to do was wait for Remus' reply so Hedwig wouldn't come back and find him missing.

Remus' reply came a day later. Harry was a nekoshin, a semi-rare brand of humanoid magical creature originating in Japan. How nekoshin blood had gotten into either the Potter line or the Evans line Remus didn't know, but he was certain the physical changed were relatively harmless – and permanent. He did reassure Harry that the changes easily be hidden with a glamour, if Harry so desired.

Upon reading the letter, Harry stepped into the bathroom and placed a powerful glamour upon himself, hiding not only the ears and tail, but also the vicious bruises and welts still apparent on his face and arms from Vernon's latest beating. He hurriedly packed and shrunk his wizarding belongings, ignoring the pathetic assortment of hand-me-downs from the Dursleys; he intended to buy an entire new wardrobe that actually fit.

Dressed in the only pair of jeans and tee shirt that actually fit him (courtesy of Hermione last year), Harry made his way down the stairs, thankful that his Uncle had stormed out of the house, taking his loathsome cousin with him. He went to the kitchen, where his aunt was sitting at the table sipping tea and reading a romance novel. He watched his mother's twin sister for a while, wondering, not for the first time, how Lily could have come from the same family as Petunia, much less been her twin. Finally, he cleared his throat.

Petunia jumped, then glared at him. "What?" she spat out.

"I'm leaving now. I won't be coming back." Harry didn't know quite what was making him say this, when his aunt had never done a thing for him, but somehow the words welled up out of his throat. "You should be careful. Without me to focus on, Vernon will find another target."

"Don't be ridiculous, freak," Petunia said contemptuously. "And good riddance to bad rubbish."

Harry shook his head a little; after seventeen years of such emotional abuse, he couldn't bring himself to react this last time. He pulled the Portkey out of his pocket. "Good-bye, Aunt Petunia."

***

Harry's feet slammed into the ground, and he would have fallen had two sets of arms not caught him.

"'Welcome home, little brother!'" Fred and George chorused happily, wrapping Harry in a double embrace. Harry winced, and the twins frowned, asking in unison, "'Harry?'"

Harry glanced about, noting he was in the twins' main store, receiving several openly curious and shocked stares.

"I'm going to put my stuff up, okay?" Harry asked softly, pulling his shrunken belongings from his pocket.

"'Okay,'" the twins chorused obediently.

Harry slipped around the check-out counter and up the stairs leading to the twins' private quarters. He opened the door to the room that the twins had painted "Harry's Place" in bright orange (he winced a little) on, and smiled in relief when he saw that the room was done in shades of blue and green, his two favorite colors. He unshrunk his trunk, settling it at the foot of the bed, and put Hedwig's cage on a corner of the desk that sat on the right side of the room.

"Harry."

He turned about to see Fred, the somewhat-quieter of the twins, leaning in his doorway.

Fred eyed him, and said firmly, "Drop the glamour."

Harry's eyes flashed, but Fred's gaze was steady. With a sigh, Harry looked away, and muttered, "Finite incantatem."

There was a moment of silence, then Fred growled softly, "Wait here, I'll get you something for those bruises."

Harry sat on the edge of the bed as Fred left the room and rubbed his temples to stave off a headache, wishing he hadn't removed the glamour. He was surprised that Fred hadn't reacted to the feline features, then remembered that the prankster twins had seen – and invented, Harry thought ruefully, recalling the Canary Creams – stranger.

Moments later, the bed dipped on both sides of him as both twins joined him, Fred holding a jar of bruise balm and some bandages and George holding what appeared to be some kind of wound cleanser. George tugged on Harry's shirt, and the raven-haired boy resignedly allowed him to remove it. There were two sharp intakes of breath, and Harry fastened his gaze firmly to his lap. Fred silently began to smooth the balm over the worst of the bruises, a large palm-shaped mark on his lower left ribs; George took the bandages from his twin and began to work on Harry's back. Harry was grateful that whatever George was using the clean the welts on his back and arms only caused a soothing cooling sensation, and didn't sting.

"Is that a tail, Harry?" George's interested voice broke the silence, and Harry smiled crookedly at the blunter of the twins.

"Yeah." He reached up and touched one of his large cat ears. It felt velvety. "I'm a nekoshin, according to Professor Lupin. D'you two know anything about them, 'cause I don't."

"They're pretty rare in Europe, so they don't have an established society and rules like the Veela do," George told him. "Most pureblood families consider them beings to be honored and respected in this area. Did you get a power increase?"

"Dunno." Harry shrugged. "I haven't tried anything major other than the glamour." When Harry turned seventeen, he had been told by his pureblood friends, he should expect an increase in both physical and magical strength, traditionally called an Inheritance. Instead, he'd gotten cat ears and a tail. Why did this just seem typical?

"We should…experiment…and find out what else you got," George drawled, a look of unholy mischief gleaming in his eyes

Harry eyed his unofficial older brother warily. "NO," he said very firmly.

"Awww, Harry…"

"N. O. That spells 'no,'" Harry said without a tremor in his voice.

This did not deter George from reaching out curiously, and gently stroking Harry's tail. A violent shudder worked its way down Harry's spine.

George stopped immediately. "Did I hurt you?" he asked worriedly.

Harry _knew_ his face was crimson. Wordlessly, he shook his head, gaze once more on his lap.

George stared at him, then grinned evilly in understanding. "Sensitive spot, aye?" He reached for the tail again.

Harry hastily wrapped his tail around his waist again, and batted at George's questing hand.

"Enough, George. Let our little brother be for now," Fred said softly, taking the bandages and covering the last of Harry's scrapes.

Harry smiled gratefully at Fred, then poked George as his hand inched forward again. "Thank you both," he murmured, while still keeping a wary eye on George's hand. "So, do you guys reckon it's all right for me to take the glamour on the ears and tail off?"

"You might as well, that way the _Daily Prophet_ can have its field day," Fred advised. Harry grimaced at the mention of the hated newspaper, and the twins snickered.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfiction.

*By the way, this story completely ignores Sirius' death and the Horcruxes. That's why it's Alternate Universe – for that, and, you know, time travel.

Warnings: Abuse – physical, sexual, and emotional. Male/Male slash.

Chapter 2

Harry stayed in the (relative) safety of Fred and George's store for the next couple of days. The _Prophet_, of course, got wind of the fact that Harry had received a magical creature Inheritance, and the twins' store was packed with people pretending to browse while trying to get a glimpse of him. Harry was disgusted by all of the gawking, and the twins were highly amused.

Harry took over handling the twins' books, since neither Fred nor George was talented when it came to taxes. Since coming into his Inheritance, Harry had received several owls from Gringotts. Now that he had full access to the Potter family vaults, he was one of the richest wizards in Britain. Handling the twins' accounts was good practice for having to handle his own.

The closer it got to school starting, the more students from Hogwarts began to stop in. Harry was still friends with Seamus and Dean, so when they stopped by he took some time off to walk through Hogsmeade with them. He was forced to keep his tail wrapped tightly about his waist, as many people in the street didn't seem to comprehend the concept of "personal space" when it came to him.

They ended up at the Three Broomsticks, sitting in a corner booth with mugs of butterbeer. Harry spotted several reporters and grimaced; when Madame Rosmerta came around to see if they needed anything, he quietly asked her to shoo them away. She gave him a sympathetic look and nodded after refilling their mugs.

Harry split up from his friends after they'd had their drinks. Uncomfortable with all the staring, Harry decided to head back to Weaseley's Wizard Wheezes, but before he could take more than a few steps a flashbulb went off in front of his eyes, blinding the poor nekoshin temporarily.

"Mr. _Potter_!" Rita Skeeter's nasal voice was the last one Harry wanted to hear. "How nice to see you!"

"Ms. Skeeter," Harry murmured, trying to step around the muscled cameraman.

"Now, Mr. Potter, won't you answer a few –" Rita had grabbed Harry's left arm, which was still heavily bruised, and when her long nails dug in to the hurt, Harry's creature side surfaced for the first time.

He hissed savagely, and slashed at her with his right hand, which had sprouted claws where his nails were supposed to be. Rita jumped back in shock, but not before Harry had managed to shred a good bit of her sleeve. "Fuck off!" Harry snarled between hisses, and darted swiftly past the reporter. He knew he was headed away from WWW, but what mattered was getting away. Period. He absently noted to himself that at least he knew now why his fingernails had hurt so much the night of his Inheritance.

He found himself at one of Hogsmeade's Apparition Points and, with a shrug, decided to drop by Diagon Alley for a bit of shopping. One of the first things the twins had taught him, within a day of living with them, was how to apparate – never mind that Harry hadn't taken the official Ministry test.

***

His first stop was Flourish and Blotts for more parchment, ink, and quills (he'd developed a rather annoying habit of shredding the last without even realizing it), as well as the textbooks he'd need for that year. He arranged to have them delivered to WWW, then decided to browse for magical creature texts, hoping to find something on nekoshins. As he wandered through the bookshelves, he heard a familiar voice and cringed.

"Honestly, Mum, why did we have to come here personally? With the kind of money we have, we could have had our textbooks delivered."

"Yes, Ron darling," Molly Weaseley's voice chided, "but I needed to look for a few charm manuals for myself. Why don't you go to the sports section and find yourself an extra bit of reading?"

Ron's sneering voice continued to grumble and grow closer, and Harry hastily edge away –

Only to round a corner and come face to face with the Malfoy family.

The Malfoys, it had been revealed, were spies for Dumbledore, a fact that had made Snape turn red with fury because Dumbledore had not seen fit to inform him of this fact. Briefly, Harry's mind flashed back to the last time he'd been in the same room as Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy: he'd attended a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix in order to meet everyone who had fought during the first war, only for the meeting to dissolve into chaos when the Malfoys walked in.

_Molly Weaseley's face was a brighter shade of red than her hair. "You put that cursed diary in my Ginny's books! You endangered her SOUL! Get out!"_

"_I acted as I did to keep my own family safe," Lucius snapped back. "And I say, once again, that my actions concerning the diary of Tom Riddle were not determined by _me_ alone! I was an agent of your precious Dumbledore, woman! Why don't you stop and think, for once, instead of shrieking like a banshee as you usually do!"_

That little revelation alone had been another reason for Harry's trust in the headmaster to crumble, particularly when Dumbledore had defended his actions by saying they had been for the greater good. Was it for the greater good that Harry had had to face a basilisk with nothing but the Sorting Hat and Fawkes?

Harry mentally shook his head. Once he had destroyed Voldemort, he and Draco had come to a truce of sorts. Their rivalry had not ended by any means, but they no longer came to blows every time they met.

Harry ducked his head, murmured a soft greeting, and started to walk past the three beautiful blonds.

"Well, well, Harry – fancy seeing you here!" Ron's obnoxious voice made Harry wince.

"Ron," Harry said softly, and tried again to leave.

The redhead grabbed Harry's left arm in almost the exact same place that Rita Skeeter had, and Harry felt his creature rise again. Though he wasn't aware of it, the pupils of his eyes had become slitted like a cat's, and Draco recognized the danger sign for what it was.

"I believe, Weasel, that Potter has no interest in speaking with you," Draco said, his tone dripping utter disdain, his stance relaxed and ready.

Ron sneered back. "I don't need your input, Ferret." He turned his attention to Harry. "Why the glamour, Harry? Surely with your…creature blood exposed you have nothing left to hide." Ron's voice oozed with malicious curiosity.

Harry knew that if his control slipped, so would his glamour. He glanced about desperately for a distraction.

The elder male Malfoy stirred, and his silky, midnight voice purred with menace. "I hardly think that is your concern, Weaseley. I bid you good day."

Ron stiffened. "You can't dismiss me," he snarled, not letting go of Harry.

"Ron!" Molly Weaseley's shrill voice cut across the bookshelves. "Are you done?"

Ron's lip curled. "Just a moment, Mum," he called back. He looked at his former best friend. "We'll talk later, Potter."

Harry watched his former friend walk away, rubbed his hurt arm, and tried to force back tears of hurt and betrayal. Both Harry and Hermione had checked Ron for signs of the Imperius spell after Harry and Ron's final row – but Ron was acting of his own accord.

"Are you in need of a mediwizard, Mr. Potter?" Narcissa Malfoy's voice, carefully neutral, cut across Harry's pained thoughts.

He looked up at her. As he stood at a grand total of five foot four, all three Malfoys were at least a good six inches taller than him. "No, Lady Malfoy, thank you for your concern," he said quietly, startling Narcissa with his use of her proper title. He glanced at the men. "Thank you for…intervening." He bowed to the family, and made to walk past.

"Mr. Potter." Lucius' silky voice stopped him, and he looked up questioningly.

The elder blond reached out and touched Harry's face, fingertips brushing over the worst bruise, causing the nekoshin to flinch. "You might want to strengthen the glamour."

Harry swallowed and added another layer of magic to the mask covering his body. "Thank you, Lord Malfoy," he said hoarsely, and hurried out of the shop.

***

Draco watched his rival go with narrowed eyes, then turned to his father. "Well? What was the glamour hiding?"

"That is Mr. Potter's business, Draco." Lucius gave his son an uncharacteristically stern look. "You will not bother him about it." It was a decree, and Draco bent his head reluctantly in acknowledgement, now more curious than ever. His father rarely involved himself in the personal affairs of others; that he had done so for Harry Potter told Draco that the glamour was hiding something very important.

Draco hated mysteries, and made a point of solving them as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfiction.

*By the way, this story completely ignores Sirius' death and the Horcruxes. That's why it's Alternate Universe – for that, and, you know, time travel.

*Some of you may have noticed that I put Weaseley's Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmeade instead of Diagon Alley, as it is in canon. This was done on purpose, but I do appreciate that people are paying that much attention to my story that they notice ^_^

Warnings: Abuse – physical, sexual, and emotional. Male/Male slash.

Chapter 3

Harry wandered down the Alley, wondering why that day seemed to be the day for meeting people who made him miserable or uncomfortable. He found himself outside the pet shop, hesitated a moment, then remembered he needed supplies for Hedwig and went in.

The animals showed no particular reaction to the nekoshin, at which Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He walked past the owls to the shelf that contained the birds' supplies. As he gathered owl treats, he noted a display of crup puppies, which some 'intelligent' clerk had placed next to a large glass container containing several kneazle kittens. Naturally, it was very loud in that area.

He spotted one crup that was not making a commotion, but was sitting calmly watching everything around him. The little puppy was a handsome fellow with deep chocolate fur and lively, curious eyes. Harry remembered from his third year magical creatures class that crups were bred to interact specifically with wizards, and as such were very intelligent – not on the same level as a familiar, of course, but they did make excellent pets and guardians of wizarding children. Harry reached a hand into the display and picked up the puppy. The crup barked happily and snuggled close, and Harry felt his heart melt. As a child growing up in the Dursley household, Harry had often longed for a pet of some kind, but it was the one thing Petunia had put her foot down about whenever Dudley whined – she refused to clean up after any sort of animal. Harry knew Fred and George wouldn't mind, as the two liked animals, but he had a feeling he'd have to protect any animal he brought home from being experimented on by the twins…

Harry's gaze drifted to the kittens. There were two – the littlest ones – that sat quietly side by side. Harry shifted the puppy to the floor, and noted with approval that the crup immediately sat by his feet, tail wagging furiously. He reached into the glass container and pulled the two kittens out. Both began to purr, and Harry felt his heart soften more. He glanced from the cats to the puppy; three new pets seemed like a bit much, but for once Harry wanted to follow his wants, not his head. He shifted the kittens to one arm, and bent down and picked up the puppy with the other. None of the animals voiced an objection at being in close vicinity to one another, and Harry smiled.

He made his way to the checkout counter, purchased the animals and all the supplies needed for them, as well as Hedwig's supplies. In the crup's case, he also had to pay for a license, as the animal would have to be under a Disillusionment Charm around muggles due to the forked tail. He had the supplies sent to WWW, and put the crup on a leash so he could walk with him. The kittens had evaded all attempts at putting collars or leashes on them, but one was perfectly happy to climb into his robe's pocket while the other decided his shoulder made a fine perch. Harry was a bit cautious about walking, but after a few steps, realized the kittens were comfortable, so he began to make his way back to the Apparition Points to Hogsmeade Village.

Phoenix song made Harry look up. What was a phoenix doing in Diagon Alley?

The breathtakingly-beautiful creature dropped out of the sky to hover before him, much to the shock of all around him. Harry, however, recognized an old friend.

"'Lo, Fawkes," he said softly.

Sweet song-notes rang out, and Harry smiled at the cheerful greeting. Fawkes dropped lower, and Harry hesitantly offered his right arm, since one of his kittens was perched on his left shoulder. Fawkes settled on his arm readily enough, surprising the nekoshin: the phoenix was not heavy, which was startling considering the size of the magical bird. The phoenix peered at the animals in Harry's possession and trilled at them. To Harry's further surprise and amusement, all three animals meowed or barked back.

"Fawkes!" Albus Dumbledore's stern voice made Harry flinch. Just when he though his day was getting better…

"Harry, my boy, how are you?" Dumbledore's voice now sounded like the kind, grandfatherly old man Harry had trusted once.

Harry steeled himself, and turned to face Dumbledore. "Professor," he greeted softly.

"I was worried when I saw the article in the _Prophet_, Harry. Why did you not write to me?" Dumbledore's eyes were piercing.

Harry looked down at the crup that sat at his feet, tail not wagging in the least. "I didn't want to bother you, sir. Remus explained to me what nekoshin were, so I've gotten along alright."

His meek answer apparently satisfied the old man, for he said, "Just know, Harry, that you can always come to me with your questions. It is not a bother, I assure you." The headmaster radiated trustworthiness and goodwill, and Harry saw the approving looks on the faces of most of the people around him.

"Yes, sir," he answered.

"Good. Come, Fawkes. I'll see you at school, Harry." Dumbledore began to walk down the street, then realized the phoenix hadn't followed. "Fawkes!"

Harry turned his head slightly to look at the phoenix who looked quite like he didn't want to move. "He's calling you," he whispered to Fawkes. The phoenix responded with a sort of acknowledging trill, but didn't even twitch a feather.

"It seems you wish to stay with young Harry," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, showing no sign of the anger he was feeling at the phoenix's disobedience. "Very well, come back to the school when you are ready." He turned and continued to walk down the Alley.

Harry cocked an eyebrow at the phoenix. Fawkes had visited him before, but always when Harry was alone; this was the first time the phoenix had acted openly. "I'm going back to Hogsmeade, Fawkes. Meet me there?" The phoenix trilled his assent and vanished in a flurry of fire, startling Harry once again when the flames did not burn the wizard. Shaking his head at the way his day had gone, Harry took a firmer grip on his new pets and apparated.

***

The Hogwarts Castle spirit guardian, Maiamari, turned away from the scrying mirror to face her companions. "Well, my friends?"

"Beautiful," a handsome blond dressed in crimson and gold breathed out.

"Absolutely breathtaking," another equally-handsome blond, this one dressed in green and silver agreed.

The spirit rolled her eyes. "To use a phrase from this century: well, duh. Any submissive destined to be with you two would of course be beautiful. My question referred to the person, not the appearance."

"Quiet," the one in crimson observed. "Shy."

"Powerful," the one in green purred in open pleasure, and the one in red rolled his eyes.

"Obviously pure of heart, or the phoenix wouldn't have gone near him, much less sat on his arm."

"Playful, or he wouldn't live in a shop devoted to pranks," the one in green said, his eyes gleaming in interest.

"Or call Fred and George Weaseley his brothers," Maiamari agreed.

"I like them," the one in red said. "Were they mine?"

"Mmm," Maiamari hummed in assent. "It was a near thing, though. Their cunning nearly made them yours," she said to the one in green, "but they have a fondness for muggles, like their father." The man sniffed, and his companion rolled his eyes again.

"Shall we fetch the girls?" the one in red asked. "I want to do something about that headmaster."

"Yes," the other man growled. "I do not like him. He shows many of the flaws of those that belong to me, and none of the redeeming characteristics."

"He wasn't so unpleasant when he was younger," Maiamari said in a sad tone. "Before power made him lazy and arrogant, he was a decent man. Now, though…" She trailed off, and sighed. "Get the girls. I need to alter your manner of speaking – language has shifted - and inform all of you of what's happened here in the last five hundred years."

***

"Great MERLIN!!"

Fred and George's shocked cries woke Harry out of a sound sleep. It was two days before school started, and the brothers had told Harry to sleep in, as it was one of the last chances he'd have in some time.

Harry stumbled groggily out of his bedroom into the room that was connected to all of the bedrooms, a sort of half-living room, half-kitchen, narrowly avoiding stepping on Selena and Lunaris, the two female kittens whose favorite game had become tripping their human.

"Whassamatta?" he asked, not yet fully awake.

The twins thrust the front page of the Daily Prophet at him. Harry blinked his eyes to clear his vision, thankful once more that his nekoshin Inheritance had eliminated his need for glasses, then his jaw hit the ground as he read the giant headline:

"THE HOGSWARTS FOUR RETURN!! DUMBLEDORE REMOVED FROM OFFICE!!"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfiction.

*By the way, this story completely ignores Sirius' death and the Horcruxes. That's why it's Alternate Universe – for that, and, you know, time travel.

*Some of you may have noticed that I put Weaseley's Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmeade instead of Diagon Alley, as it is in canon. This was done on purpose, but I do appreciate that people are paying that much attention to my story that they notice ^_^

*I'd like to make something clear: the kittens and the crup puppy aren't familiars. A true familiar is an animal companion close in intelligence to its owner. The kittens and the puppy are pets, because Harry's never had a pet other than Hedwig, and went a little overboard. Similarly, Neville's toad would be a pet, but Hermione's cat Crookshanks is a true familiar.

Warnings: Abuse – physical, sexual, and emotional. Male/Male slash.

Chapter 4

Salazar Slytherin surveyed the mountain of letters on his desk that was rapidly gaining height as more owls poured in.

"I'm beginning to think we should have given them a bit more forewarning," he remarked to his lover, frowning over how the words formed in his mouth. Maiamari had done _something_, and now all four of the Founders spoke as though they were from the modern time, but it still felt quite odd to hear the words come out of his mouth.

Godric Gryffindor slid his arms around Salazar's waist and rested his head on his companion's shoulder in a moment of quiet. Of the four Founders, Godric had perhaps taken the transition from their former time to the future the worst, and Salazar had yet to think of a discreet way to figure out why. The frequent bouts of quiet stillness from Godric were just _odd_ coming from the normally rambunctious fighter. In the meantime, though, Salazar's own arm found its way around Godric's waist, as he had no objection to Godric's wish for physical closeness as well as quiet.

"Aww, you two are so cute together!"

As one, the warriors turned to glare at the raven-haired woman leaning in their doorway grinning impishly as them. Rowena had adjusted the best to the time travel, and it showed in her manner of dress and the way she carried herself.

"Is there something you need, Lady Ravenclaw?" Salazar asked with forced courtesy.

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Rowena, Salazar, it is Rowena. And no, I just came to see if you two needed any help sorting through that," she said, gesturing at the ever-growing pile of parchment.

"No, thank you, Rowena," Godric said politely. "Is the Great Hall ready for tomorrow?"

"Helga's putting the finishing touches on it right now." The beautiful woman's expression was firm and resolved. "This ridiculous division between our Houses has gone much too far. A bit of friendly competition was all well and good, but the enmity between your two Houses caused two wars. Never again will it be allowed to happen."

"Never," the two men echoed in tandem.

***

Sitting on the sofa staring in shock, Harry learned from the articles in the paper that not only had Dumbledore been removed from his office of Headmaster, his equally famous familiar, the phoenix Fawkes, had repudiated him and apparently remained at Hogwarts to guard the school.

Worried about his old friend, Harry got up and went into his bedroom, digging through his trunk for the spare tail feather Fawkes had given him to make communication easier when he wished.

"Fawkes?" he called aloud. "Are you okay?"

The phoenix appeared in a flare of fire and settled into the nekoshin's outstretched arms, cuddling close. Harry returned to the sofa and sat down, stroking his hands through the magnificent feathers.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I'm so sorry." The phoenix let out a single pained note of acknowledgement, and Harry's grip on him tightened.

"Harry?" Fred stuck his head into the room, having left a few minutes before, and did a double take when he saw the phoenix. "Is – is that -?"

"This is Fawkes," Harry said quietly. "He…was Dumbledore's familiar. I think –" He paused as Fawkes tried to snuggle even closer than he already was. "I think he'll probably stay with me for a while. I'm not his master, but I'm a friend. D'you mind?"

" No, 'course not," Fred said immediately, and Fawkes trilled softly at him. Fred smiled at the phoenix, and asked Harry, "Do you want some lunch? Me and George thought we'd close the shop for a bit and eat out today."

"And catch all the latest gossip about the Founders," Harry said dryly. Fred grinned at him, and Harry shrugged. "Sure, just let me get out of my pajamas and into some actual clothes."

***

"I'm going down to the village to get some lunch," Godric murmured, bored with sorting his mail into various piles – _**press**_, _**Ministry**_, _**school-related**_, and _**random strangers**_. "Will you come with me?"

"Call a house-elf and eat here," Salazar said shortly. His batch of mail was not nearly as friendly as the mail the rest had received – already he'd disarmed and destroyed over fifty cursed letters. Seventeen Howlers had made it into his office and screamed insults at him before he'd placed a ward around the castle that prevented any Howler from making it in, causing them to explode outside on the grounds.

"I…would rather go to the village."

Salazar paused and took a long look at his lover. Godric did not have even a drop of Sight in his blood, but he sometimes got these hunches that always panned out. Always. It had irritated Salazar to no end early on in their relationship, when Godric wanted to operate on his instincts even when it went against all bloody common sense, and _every single time_ Godric had been right, without rhyme or reason to back him up.

An envelope that was glowing a sickly green was dropped in front of Slytherin, and he hastily aimed his wand at it, putting it inside a protective forcefield. When the letter turned from green to a nasty-looking brown-yellow puke color, Salazar rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Go and eat, Godric. I must deal with…this. Really, Grindelwald and whats-his-name – Voldemort – have caused a great deal of damage to my name and reputation. I must address the misconceptions regarding my House and personal history – and soon."

***

Harry walked down the stairs with a sigh, Fawkes still in his arms.

"Harry?" George asked, puzzled.

"He doesn't want to leave me," Harry explained. "Nearly singed my shirt when I went to change and I had to put him down for a moment."

The twins looked at each other and shrugged. "'Shall we go?'" they chorused.

The trio, plus a cranky phoenix, made it to the Three Broomsticks without incident. Sitting in his favorite pub sipping at a mug of warm milk (Harry had had to endure Fred and George's snickering at his new favorite drink), Harry was relaxed to the point that his tail had unwound itself from his waist and was swishing lazily behind him. It helped Harry's nerves that the three of them were sitting at the most isolated table in the pub out of sight of most of the customers, Harry's back was to a wall instead of facing other people, and there was a nasty, over-protective, extremely creative twin on either side of him.

Harry's ears perked up when they heard a commotion outside the pub, and Fred and George glanced toward the entrance with curiosity. The double doors swung open violently as a gust of raw magic blew them open, making all three jolt. A gorgeous blond dressed in crimson and gold stepped rather hurriedly inside. The doors slammed shut with another gust of magic, and Harry's hand twitched instinctively towards his wand as the blond hastily sealed the entrance to prevent a mob from bursting in. Fred and George caught their breaths in shock – it was Godric Gryffindor!

The famous man looked toward Madame Rosmerta, who was staring. "My apologies for the sealing spell. I…needed some space. Have you a private table?" the wizard asked, his voice tired and harassed.

Rosmerta's eyes softened. She'd helped Harry often enough that she knew what it felt like to be harassed by mobs of witches and wizards too curious for their own good. "I do, mi'lord –" The bartender turned towards Harry and the twins, only to realize the table was taken.

Harry glanced at the twins, who nodded rather hastily. "You are welcome to join us, Lord Gryffindor," he said quietly, his voice nonetheless carrying in the now very-quiet pub. Fawkes added his agreement by letting out a trill of more happiness than Harry had heard from him that day.

A look of surprise crossed the Founder's face. "A good day to you, Master Fawkes, and thank you, Master…?"

"Harry Potter," the nekoshin said with a wry smile, standing politely as the Founder approached, hearing and feeling Fred and George hastily stand as well on either side of him.

Recognition was flickering in bright blue eyes now. "Got rid of what's-his-name – Moldywart – didn't you?" Godric reached the table and gestured for them to sit. "You needn't stand, I don't bother much with ceremony."

Harry sat and laughed softly, regarding the Founder consideringly. "That is the first time I've ever heard him called _that_, but yes. It's nice to know I'm not the only one in the world who makes fun of his name."

"Oi, little brother –"

"-we do that, too," Fred and George protested.

"Yes, but you two make fun of everything," Harry pointed out as Godric sat down across from them. "These are my unofficial older brothers, Fred and George Weaseley," gesturing at each. "No blood relation to me, but they're so close to me as to make no difference."

Godric nodded thoughtfully. "I understand your meaning. Helga and Rowena are much the same to me."

Rosmerta stepped discreetly forward. "Can I get you anything to drink, mi'lord?"

"Butterbeer, love, and whatever soup you've got ready," Godric said easily, flashing a charming smile at the woman, make her blush and giggle.

"I'll be back in just a moment, mi'lord," she said, and headed hastily for the kitchen.

Godric returned his attention to the boys – young men – in front of him. He tilted his head to the side a bit and asked, "Are you two the owners of…Weaseley's Wizard Wheezes, I believe the name was?"

"'Yes, indeed!'"

Harry sat quietly and nursed his mug of warm milk while the twins chatted with Godric about the joke shop and Rosmerta brought the Founder his meal. When the twins mentioned his ability to keep up with the latest spells in curiosity, Godric explained that the castle's guardian spirit had altered the Founders' speech (five hundred years included several language shifts) and given them the knowledge of what had happened (in a general way) since the Founders had left their own time. The conversation turned to money, and Harry was forced to pay more attention to the conversation when his name came up.

"Our little brother here –" Fred said, draping an arm about Harry's shoulders.

"-balances our books and covers our arses financially," George chimed in, draping his arm about Harry as well and ignoring the nekoshin's disapproving look at his language.

"If it weren't for him giving us a boost to start with –"

"-we never could have opened the shop."

"Not to mention the fact that –"

"-with all of his magic shielding us –"

"-we can experiment more comfortably –"

"-and keep ahead of the market."

Harry shifted uncomfortably as Godric's gaze focused fully on him. He'd been feeling on edge since Godric came within speaking distance of their table, and was wishing he hadn't invited the Founder to sit with them, though he didn't understand why. "I'm the only heir of the Potter family," he muttered, avoiding Godric's gaze by looking down at Fawkes, who seating comfortably in his lap and looking peaceful, if not precisely happy. "The money I gave Fred and George in the beginning was from the Triwizard Tournament. I didn't need it, want it, or deserve it. I thought it should at least do some good, since I was stuck with it."

Godric regarded Harry with grave eyes. All four of the Founders had been informed by Minerva McGonagall of the events of Harry's fourth year. The words Harry had just spoken, coupled with the pain shadowing his beautiful green eyes, told Godric much about Harry's character that he and Salazar had not observed within Maiamari's scrying globe.

Wanting to know more about the beautiful submissive sitting across from him, Godric asked, "I beg your pardon if the question offends you, but why do you have cat ears?"

Harry blinked at him, startled by the topic change, then raised his tail and waved it. "I have a tail, too," he said wryly. "I'm a nekoshin, which is a humanoid magical creature originating in Japan." A puzzled look crossed Godric's face at the mention of the unfamiliar country, but the Founder did not interrupt. "I do not know how the creature blood got into the Potter line, but I'm assuming I get it from that side of the family since my mother was a muggleborn." Again a startled look crossed Godric's face, but again he did not interrupt. "When my Inheritance hit, I sprouted these," he tugged an ear, "but I have a few other feline characteristics that only show up when my emotions are running high. Other than that, I'm a normal wizard." Fred and George snorted loudly. "Shut up, you two."

"Little brother, you fought a possessed teacher your first year –"

"-a basilisk your second –"

"-and evil animagus and an uncontrolled werewolf your third –"

"-the Tournament and ol' Voldyshorts your fourth –"

"-the Toad your fifth –"

"-and beat bloody Voldemort your fifth as well."

"Your fans have nicknamed you 'The Savior of the Wizarding World.'"

Together they chorused, "'Normal?'"

Harry's ears were flat on his head and he was scowling fiercely at them. "As if I _wanted_ any of that shit to happen to me," he muttered, feline growl prominent in his tone.

As the twins laughed at him, Godric had to restrain a tremendous impulse to reach over and pet Harry's ears to see if they were as soft as they looked. Goddess above, but his and Salazar's chosen was cute, though from the current look on Harry's face, Godric and Salazar would do well to never say that out loud. Godric contented himself with giving Harry a sympathetic smile. "You will be at Hogwarts tomorrow, Harry?" he asked gently.

Harry's ear lifted a little at the prospect of being back at his first real home. "Yes. I'll be glad to get a break from these two," he said pointedly.

"'Aww, little brother, you know you love us.'"

Godric's lips twitched in amusement. "Salazar and the girls – Rowena and Helga – have expressed an interest in meeting you. Would you be able to come for lunch tomorrow, before the rest of the school begins to arrive, and have a talk with us? I realize it is dreadfully short notice…"

"Ahh –" Harry stammered. "Y-yes, of course."

"Wonderful." Godric smiled warmly at him, and Harry unaccountably felt his face flushing. "Well, it was indeed a pleasure talking to you gentlemen, but I'd best be getting back to Hogwarts." He grimaced. "I'm sure I've more mail to sort through."

It was Harry's turn to smile sympathetically as the three rose politely with Lord Gryffindor. The Founder shook each of their hands and strode out the back entrance of the Three Broomsticks after canceling the sealing spell he'd place on all the doors leading in, and Harry's sharper ears caught the crack of Apparation. While the twins gloated over meeting the Founder, Harry began to quietly panic at the thought of a formal meal with the man who put him so on edge.

***

Godric strode up with path leading to the castle whistling under his breath. His hunch had panned out, and he'd learned more about Harry. He thought again of the blush that had covered the nekoshin's face when the twins had brought up his history, and couldn't help but grin a little at the thought of Salazar's probable reaction. Salazar loved trying to make Godric blush, and when he saw how very lovely the little submissive look when pink-faced, Godric was sure to be let off the hook for quite some time.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfiction.

My thanks to the reviewer that pointed out the misspelling of the WEASLEY's name. I knew that was bothering me for some reason.

Warnings: Abuse – physical, sexual, and emotional. Male/Male slash.

Chapter 5

The twins pounced on Harry the next morning, refusing to allow him to pick out his own clothes on the grounds that Harry had only just begun buying clothing for himself, and would not know how to choose an appropriate outfit for such an important occasion. Harry, from long experience, knew it would be useless to protest their fussing, and let them do as they wished.

He ended up wearing a deep, forest-green button-down silk shirt tailored to follow the lines of his shoulders and chest, and supple black leather pants, the pants tucked into black knee-high dragonhide boots. The shirt itself was untucked due to his tail. They'd draped a spiraling chain of gold at an angle across his hips, not really a belt as so much of an ornament. A tiny gold hoop pierced each of his ears now, standing out quite nicely against the black fur, courtesy of a quick numbing charm and a heated needle. Around his neck he wore a gold chain into which was set a small emerald, one of the few keepsakes that he had of his mother's, this one having actually been found in his father's vault. Fred and George had teased him about wearing a woman's necklace; he had promptly told them to stuff it. Over the outfit went a sleeveless black robe made of spidersilk so fine it was transparent that reached down to his ankles and was left open.

"'Now you are fit to be seen with the Founders,'" the twins said in satisfaction.

Harry studied his reflection in the mirror doubtfully. "Are you two sure about the earrings and this chain?" He fiddled with the bauble around his hips, not used to wearing such finery by a long shot.

Fred swatted his hand away. "Don't mess with that, it's draped the way it's supposed to be."

"You look fine, little brother," George reassured him. "The gold just adds a bit of Gryffindor to the outfit. You look awesome in Slytherin colors –" He straightened Harry's collar, " – but you're eating lunch with both of them, and Godric's house is technically yours –"

" – even if you were supposed to go elsewhere," Fred finished. Harry, after some debate, had told the twins about arguing with the sorting hat in his first year. It hadn't made a difference to them, much to his relief.

Harry drew in a deep breath, let it out. "Okay. I'm off."

***

Godric fiddled nervously with his white collar, still not used to twenty-first century clothing.

"Stop fidgeting, Godric," came Salazar's dark rumble of a voice. "He will be here soon enough."

"How can you sit there so calmly?" Godric asked in frustration. "I met him yesterday, and I'm nervous." Gryffindor resumed pacing the length of the table they were going to eat at in the Great Hall.

Rowena and Helga both giggled at him. "Wearing a groove in the floor will not help much," Helga pointed out, her kind grey eyes touched with laughter.

"Be quiet," Godric said crossly. "He's not _your_ lifemate."

Rowena snickered. "It will be very entertaining to see the two of you attempt to explain that to him."

"The explanation will be difficult enough without your babble, Rowena," Salazar growled. "I will thank you to keep quiet about the bond."

Rowena pouted. "Aww, but I wanted to see his face when he learns that two of the _famous Founders_ of _Hogwarts_ want him in their bed."

"He's quite famous in his own right," Godric said irritably. "To judge from his reactions yesterday, he strongly dislikes that fame, so I doubt he'll be happy to be pulled into ours as well." On that note, he began to fret again, worried about the impression he and Salazar would make.

Slytherin watched his lover build himself into a panic and sighed. The next time Godric's pacing took him past him, Salazar seized him, dragged him down to the bench beside him, and smothered his mouth with his own before Godric could get any air to protest.

This was the scene Harry walked in on. As he stared in shock, he dimly recalled reading in that article that the two Founders were bonded, but it was quite a difference to see it demonstrated live and in person.

Rowena and Helga both grinned at him, and Rowena put a finger to her lips with a wink. Harry raised an eyebrow at the woman and shook his head, his lips curving in a wry smile, and cleared his throat. Godric and Salazar hastily broke apart, their expressions almost comically dismayed.

Harry could feel his amused smile threatening to become a smirk. "Quite a greeting," he commented, and accorded the two Founders a bow. "Lord Gryffindor. Lord Slytherin." Rowena chuckled, and his eyes moved to her. "Lady Ravenclaw…?" Rowena inclined her head in acknowledgement, and Harry's bow to her was a touch deeper than his first. His eyes then moved to the last of the Founders. "Lady Hufflepuff." His voice was softer with respect, and his bow to the friendly-looking brunet was the deepest one he'd made.

Helga smiled at him. "It is Helga, please, Master Potter. Won't you sit down?"

"Yes, please," Godric said hastily. "Please, Harry, forgive the…err…display –"

Harry grinned outright at the two embarrassed males. "I've walked in on worse, Lord Gryffindor," he drawled softly. "I do, after all, live with Fred and George Weasley." Godric laughed, relaxing in relief.

"Who are Fred and George?" Rowena asked.

"Two of the most notorious pranksters to ever grace Hogwarts' halls," Harry said matter-of-factly. "They own Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmeade; it's a shop devoted to selling items for practical jokes and pranks." He smirked at Rowena, who looked rather too interested for a famed, honored Founder of Hogwarts. "It's quite popular with the students here; they do a good business." He took the seat indicated by Gryffindor, sitting next to Godric. Magic shimmered over the table, and food and drink appeared. Harry lifted his glass to his lips and tasted wine. With a small grimace, he tapped the edge of the cup with a fingertip, transmuting the wine into warm milk.

"Is that milk?" Helga asked, blinking.

Harry eyed the two women who looked overly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and resigned himself to more teasing. "As a nekoshin, I much prefer it to any sort of alcohol."

"You did not use a wand," Salazar observed.

Harry met the eyes of the Founder he had been the most nervous about meeting. "I seldom do anymore, for small magics," he said quietly. "I do not find that I need my wand for much on a day-to-day basis." His tone was even, without a trace of hesitance or pride. It was simply a statement of fact.

Rowena's black eyes gleamed in interest. "You must have a tremendous amount of core magic, if using it so constantly does not tire you."

Harry silently thanked Hermione for drilling him in aspects of the origins of a wizard's magic, so that he actually knew what Rowena was talking about. "Using it constantly is what keeps it under control," Harry said dryly. "Before I learned to focus it without a wand, it was exploding from me whenever my emotions ran high, because my wand couldn't handle the rush. I find it easier to simply use of a bit of extra concentration, rather than replacing all of the windows and china in the castle every time my magic shatters them."

Rowena blinked. "Oh. Has anyone measured your full core before?"

"I've only called upon my full core once," Harry said quietly. "Considering that was when I destroyed Voldemort, I should prefer not to do it again." He took a long drink from his milk.

"Grindelwald and Voldemort have done much to ruin the reputation of my House," Salazar rumbled. "What say you of my students, 'Golden Boy of Gryffindor'?"

Harry's eyes glittered in annoyance. "First, I dislike that nickname. Second, Lord Lucius Abraxan Malfoy and his son Draconus are among the most famous members of your House. They acted as spies for my side during the war against Voldemort; they underwent more risks and outright dangers than most of fighters serving in the Ministry combine – and that includes the brave Gryffindors." Harry set his glass down, feeling his magic pulse in his fingertips in response to his irritation. "Those who believe that the label of Slytherin equals evil are fools, and arrogant ones at that. I have spoken to many on this subject; the Ministry knows my feelings on the subject, though I am, for the most part, ignored." Harry pushed his vegetables around his plate with his fork for a moment, then made a decision. "I…regret arguing with Tahym now."

"The Sorting Hat?" Helga asked, surprised. Harry could feel all of the Founders staring at him, though he carefully avoided their eyes for the moment.

"When I received my first Hogwarts acceptance letter, I had grown up in a Muggle household, so I knew nothing of the magical world. My first friend in this world told me what I was to the magical folk – the "Boy Who Live.'" The trace of bitterness in Harry's voice was caught by all, but they did not interrupt. "He also told me that every witch and wizard that ever turned to evil in this country was from Slytherin. I made other friends, and I kept hearing slurs against Slytherin. Then I met Draconus Malfoy." Harry's tone turned rueful. "Draco was the only heir of a wealthy pureblood family, and as such was…rather spoiled. He insulted the people I had befriended, and I didn't know enough about pureblood families to understand the behavior, so I took the obnoxious prat at face value. Draco was the last straw; when the Hat was placed on my head, the only thing I could think was 'Any House but Slytherin.' As a result of my arguing, I was sent to Slytherin's opposite – Gryffindor House, when Slytherin was its first choice." Harry played with the handle of his glass, uncomfortably with Salazar's intent look. "It is rather late for me to be re-Sorted, but that is why, Lord Slytherin, I am always the first of Gryffindor's House to defend your students."

Phoenix song broke the silence that followed, and Harry looked up, a smile of warmth and welcome lighting his face. Godric and Salazar caught their breaths at how that particular smiled transformed Harry's face; it changed him from a rather nice-looking young man to a startlingly-beautiful one.

Rowena nudged Salazar as Harry greeted Fawkes, the phoenix settling on the nekoshin's shoulder. "You're drooling, 'Zar," she whispered impishly.

Slytherin scowled at her, hissed a quiet, "Shut up," and hastily schooled his expression, poking Godric to prompt him into awareness.

"I was wondering where Fawkes went yesterday," Helga said gently, giving the two men time to compose themselves. "He was with you, then?"

Harry nodded. "Fawkes is an old friend. He saved my life during my second year, when I got bitten by a basilisk. He cried over the wound." Harry touched his arm, which still bore a scar from that day.

Godric and Salazar's eyes bugged. "You got bitten…" Godric said dazedly.

"...By a basilisk?" Salazar finished in shock. "All the histories we've read – in our era and yours – say that species is nearly extinct, and hasn't been seen in Britain since…" His brow furrowed as he tried to recall the modern term.

"B.C. times, you would say now," Rowena supplied.

Harry snorted quietly, amused by Salazar finishing Godric's sentence with the ease of long habit. "So they think." He eyed Salazar. "I do believe the body and several of the serpent's sheddings should still be in the Chamber of Secrets."

"Chamber of What?" Salazar asked blankly.

In quiet, elegant Parseltongue, Harry hissed, "_I believe it was once a part of your private rooms. The entrance I found can only be opened with Parseltongue, though I am curious as to why you placed it in a female bathroom._"

All four Founders started. Salazar was the first to recover. "_What better place to hide it_?" he hissed. "_And what the HELL are you doing in Godric's House when you have this gift_?"

"I have already offered an explanation for that, Lord Slytherin," Harry said evenly in English.

Harry was saved from further questioning by a familiar voice. "Harry?"

Harry turned his head and looked toward a door that led off to some of the classrooms, and smiled. "Remus," he greeted his old friend, rising carefully to avoid jolting the phoenix. Fawkes obligingly fluttered to the bench, his claws curling around the edge, and Harry walked forward to give his unofficial godfather a hug.

Remus set his hands on Harry's shoulders and pushed him back a bit, looking him over. Sharp wolf-amber eyes noted the glamour, and looked into emerald eyes.

"Later," Harry mouthed to him, his back to the Founders. Remus' eyes narrowed, but he gave Harry the barest of nods.

"I've interrupted your meal. Forgive me," Remus said to the Founders.

"No trouble, Professor Lupin," Helga said easily. "You know Harry well, then?" she asked, curious about the hug.

"Harry's father and mother were two of my best friends," Remus answered quietly, resting a protective hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry smiled into the werewolf's amber eyes. "Are you doing alright with Fred and George, Harry?" Remus asked softly.

Harry's smile turned wry. "Life isn't boring," he said, drawing a chuckle from Remus. "I bought a couple of kneazle kittens and a crup puppy – I can bring them, right?" he asked, looking at the Founders. "I studied your revisions of the rules, and didn't notice any limitations on familiars or pets."

"Yes, yes, that's quite alright," Rowena said briskly. "Such a silly restriction that was – as if owls, cats, and toads were the only familiars there were. You'll be expected to keep control of any and all pets you choose to bring in addition to a familiar, of course."

"Of course," Harry murmured.

"Two kneazles and a crup?" Remus asked curiously. "They haven't killed each other yet?"

Harry laughed a little. "No, I lucked out there. All three of them are remarkably well-mannered around me and the twins." He smirked suddenly. "Not so fond of rude strangers, though."

Remus eyed that smirk. "You look very much like Lily when you smile like that – when she was plotting evil pranks to play on James." Harry laughed merrily, and Salazar and Godric's eyes widened. They'd never heard such a beautiful sound. (Oh, they were _gone_ on Harry.)

Remus was a highly observant man – with werewolf senses. What he scented from the two male Founders made his eyes widen, then narrow. Rowena saw the realization on his face, and mouthed hastily, "Not now!" while Harry's back was still turned away from her.

Remus turned his gaze back to Harry. "So how did you learn they weren't fond of strangers?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Two words, Remus: Rita Skeeter."

A hopeful look crossed Remus' face. "Did they give her rabies?"

Harry snickered. "No, but they did attack her fiercely enough that she refuses to enter WWW, so I've one safe have besides Hogwarts."

"Remus, do sit down with us," Helga invited, gesturing to the space beside her. Of all the teachers that the Founders had decided to keep and also amongst those they had hired, the gentle, highly-courteous werewolf was her favorite. "This…Rita Skeeter…has given you trouble?"

Remus bowed to her in thanks before taking the offered seat. "Skeeter is the author of several derogatory articles concerning my status as a werewolf, but Harry has far, far more reason to dislike her than I," he replied wryly. He looked at his cub then. "What are the names of your new pets, Harry – so I can thank them properly when I meet them."

Harry chuckled as he reseated himself, carefully ignoring a strange tingle that went down his spine when Godric smiled at him. "The cats are Selena and Lunaris. The puppy's name is Caius." Fawkes let out a contemplative trill, and Harry's eyes widened in alarm. "Don't even think about it, Fawkes." An innocent, questioning trill sounded. "I mean it, don't you dare complicate my life any more than it already is." Another trill, this one holding worry. "I'm fine." Disbelieving trill. "I'm _fine_. I want _peace_, do you understand me? I want to be left alone." This time the responding trill held a distinct note of mockery in it, and Harry glared. "Shut up."

"Ah, Harry…?" Remus began.

"Fawkes did something when I was in the infirmary after the basilisk," Harry said absently. "I can't understand what he's saying word for word, but I can catch most of what he means, and no, I don't wanna understand word-for-word!" he said snapped at Fawkes, who let out a mockingly-sad trill.

A low chuckle escaped Salazar as he observed the highly-uncomfortable looking nekoshin. "Master Fawkes is obviously quite fond of you…Harry. Surely a familiar bond would be a logical next step?"

"You don't get it," Harry said impatiently. "Fawkes never does anything that big unless he has six or seven different reasons, five of which will be beyond my comprehension, and the other two are bound to complicate my life." All four of the Founders – and Remus – were chuckling quietly. Harry gave the group a general scowl. "Laugh it up," he muttered. "You four won't find my wish for bloody solitude funny when the Prophet gets ahold of _you_."

Salazar sobered at that. "I understand you well."

Harry studied the most infamous of the Founders. "Yes, I suppose you do," he murmured. An ache pulsed in his temples, and he rubbed at them absently. "This is going to sound a bit forward, and perhaps silly, but if you want my help with the press, you can have it. I'm still the Prophet's darling right now," a roll of his eyes, "so my support might help when or if you choose to issue a statement to them."

"The offer is not silly," Salazar said quietly, observing as Harry rubbed his temples again. "And I thank you for it." Harry nodded to him and reached for his glass, noticed it was nearly empty, and tapped a fingertip to the rim to refill it.

"Warm milk, Harry?" Remus asked in amusement.

"Be quiet," Harry sighed. "I've already had to listen to Fred and George's teasing. It's not my fault someone in the Potter family married a nekoshin."

"I think your ears and tail are very cute," Rowena put it merrily.

Harry wrinkled his nose at her. "'Cute' is not an adjective to which I aspire," making Rowena and Helga giggle, and Godric and Salazar hide smiles.

"Godric told me of his conversation with you yesterday," Salazar said. "The ears and the tail were the only visible changes – may I ask what changes are not visible?" The Potions Master was, after all, an endlessly-curious scientist.

"When I am upset, my nails change into claws, and my pupils become slitted like a cat's," Harry said. "My reflexes are better than they ever were, and I got a significant power boost. Beyond that…" He shrugged, and looked at Remus, taking another sip of his milk.

"The only significant physical change you really need to worry about, Harry, is that fact that you are now capable of carrying a child to term the way a woman does," Remus said matter-of-factly, making Harry choke on his milk.

Godric rapped Harry sharply on this back as the shocked Boy-Who-Lived coughed, and sputtered between gasps, "W-what – did you – just – say?!"


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfiction.

Warnings: Abuse – physical, sexual, and emotional. Male/Male slash.

AN: I was originally going to put this off a few more weeks, since I haven't felt particularly inspired for this story and my brand new crossover was distracting me (I know, I'm bad), but I got a lovely review from Chickalupe over at HP Fandom dot net, actually on said crossover, and she mentioned this story and managed to flatter me enough that I decided to hammer out this chapter for her. Never let it be said that I don't appreciate reviews and flattery ;)

When we last left off…..

"_The only significant physical change you really need to worry about, Harry, is that fact that you are now capable of carrying a child to term the way a woman does," Remus said matter-of-factly, making Harry choke on his milk._

_Godric rapped Harry sharply on this back as the shocked Boy-Who-Lived coughed, and sputtered between gasps, "W-what – did you – just – say?"_

And now…Chapter 6

Godric rapped Harry sharply on this back as the shocked Boy-Who-Lived coughed, and sputtered between gasps, "W-what – did you – just – say?"

Remus blinked at his cub. "If you are so inclined, you can carry a child naturally, without the assistance of the potions most wizards use when bonded to another male."

Harry had caught his breath. "I didn't know there WERE such potions – and what do you mean, 'bonded'? Gay marriage is legal in the wizarding world?"

Now it was Remus' turn to gape. "Do you mean to tell me no one's bothered to explain the bonding laws to you? You were supposed to learn about them in your sex education class fourth year!"

"What sex ed class?" Harry protested. "Fourth year was the Triwizard Tournament. No one told me – " He stopped suddenly, and shut his eyes.

"Harry?" Remus asked in concern.

Harry opened his eyes, and the pupils were slitted like a cat's, the emerald color glowing with gold sparks. His claws were prominent as, with great care, he lifted Fawkes off of his lap to the back of his chair, ignoring the phoenix's worried trill. "Please excuse me, mi'lords and ladies," he said coldly and distantly, standing up.

"Harry, where are you going?" Remus asked, also standing.

Power crackled audibly in the air surrounding Harry as the boy turned and stalked toward the Great Hall doors. Over his shoulder, he called, "I'm going to find Albus – fucking – Dumbledore and gut him."

Remus' eyes widened in panic as he heard the deadly intent in Harry's voice – his cub was serious. "Harry, no!" The werewolf scrambled after him hastily, grabbing hold of Harry's shoulders just as the nekoshin reached the doors.

A savage snarl broke from Harry's throat, and he wrenched away from the hands that were unintentionally pressing down – hard – on the bruising left from the Dursleys.

Remus' wolf rose in response to the snarl, and he throttled it with effort, grabbing Harry by the nape of the neck and letting a warning rumble (not a canine growl, that would only piss Harry off further) out of his own mouth.

Harry stilled, both at the touch and sound, his creature self recognizing both danger and authority. *Pride,* the feline in him felt. *family*. The other part of his creature self felt, *Alpha. Do not challenge.*

Now that Harry was still and Remus had shoved Moony to the back of his head, he realized that he'd seen pain flash in Harry's eyes when he grabbed him by the shoulders. Now he knew what the glamour was hiding. "Harry, take it off."

Harry glared at Remus, hot color rising in his face as Godric and Salazar approached. "Not here," he bit out softly.

Remus gently cupped Harry's face in his hands. "Cub, you promised me," he said softly.

The anger drained away from Harry as swiftly as it had flared. Harry bowed his head, hair falling forward to hide his expression.

"Harry?" Godric asked in concern. Obviously something was wrong, but he didn't understand what. If Albus Dumbledore had done something to his chosen to enrage him so, then he was more glad than ever to have gotten rid of him, but…

Salazar, standing behind his worried lover, narrowed his eyes as Lupin's words replayed through his mind: _take it off_… He stilled as he realized the nekoshin was clad in glamour.

"Not here, Remy," Harry said again, voice so miserable that Godric instinctively stepped toward him, only to have Remus block him.

"Harry," the werewolf said softly, threading a hand through the boy's hair. "Harry, look at me."

Harry shook his head. "I – I need to sit down and think, Remus. I…" He stepped away, towards Godric. "Are the Gryffindor dorms ready for tonight?"

"…Yes, but your room is not there."

"Why?" Harry finally looked up, his face once again a mask of calm – but this time everyone present knew it was just that, a mask.

"It was our practice to give the two top students from each house their own private rooms. We have renewed that practice. You and – " Salazar looked questioningly at Godric.

"Hermione Granger," Godric supplied quietly.

" – And Miss Granger were each given your own set of rooms."

Harry felt color rising in his face as Remus gave him a surprised and proud look. After he had severed his friendship with Ron, Harry had retreated from much of Gryffindor's social activities. Hermione hadn't harassed him; she'd received similar treatment from Ron. Instead, she'd joined him in the dorm room whenever Harry was by himself, handed him a book, and just curled up next to him. Harry's study habits had improved tremendously without Ron there to sneer whenever Harry showed an interest in an academic subject other than Defense, but he honestly hadn't been aware of the fact that he was one of the top students in Gryffindor now. It was kind of a miracle, considering the difficulties Harry had in Potions. With Voldemort gone, Snape wasn't _quite_ the bastard he'd been the first three years of Harry's schooling, but the Slytherins had never stopped harassing and sabotaging the potions of all the Gryffindors.

Harry swallowed a bit as he realized the "special treatment" would set off Ron and his cronies as soon as they heard about it. Great, something to look forward to in _addition_ to future research on creature sex and reproduction, of all things. "Where were my things – and my pets – sent, then?"

"Each of the students has private rooms on the seventh floor. Your suite is located behind a painting of an elven warrior and his wolf companion," Godric said gently. "You'll need to set your own password; I did not give the portrait one."

Harry shut his eyes briefly, then opened them; Godric, Salazar, and Remus were relieved to see that his eyes were back to normal. Harry drew in a deep breath, and walked past the two male Founders back to the table, where he bowed low before Helga and Rowena. "Please forgive my rudeness, Lady Hufflepuff, Lady Ravenclaw," he murmured. "I have received several shocks this afternoon. I need to…calm down. I do not yet have total control over my creature inheritance." He turned to face the male Founders again. "I owe the two of you an apology as well for my display of temper." A pulsing pain shot through his head, and he pressed his fingertips to his temples.

Godric, eyes still filled with concern, moved to speak, but stopped when he felt Salazar's hand on his arm, and let his lover speak for him. "Any creature inheritance takes time to get become accustomed to," Salazar's deep voice rumbled. "You need not apologize for your bloodline. I take it you have no objections to our removal of Dumbledore from this castle?"

Harry smiled tightly. Talk about understatements… "No, Lord Slytherin, I have no objections." He glanced between them awkwardly, not sure how to excuse himself. "I suppose I'll see all of you at the Welcoming Feast tonight."

"The head students of each House will be introduced after the Sorting, so you might want to sit near the Head Table," Helga suggested helpfully.

"Thank you, Lady Hufflepuff," Harry murmured, and Godric and Salazar once again noticed the deference in the nekoshin's tone.

AN: kind of a filler chapter, I know, but necessary to the next few chapters that contain heavy plot development – and hopefully won't take as long to write as this one did. Speaking of plot development, I need to credit **Steven Kodaly**, who reviewed this story on Fanfiction dot net and provided me with some constructive criticism and some praise that helped me focus on plotting out exactly how I want the MPreg explanation involving nekoshins to go – there's a lot I didn't include in this chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not make any money from the writing of this fanfiction.

Warnings: Abuse – physical, sexual, and emotional. Male/Male slash.

Chapter 7

Harry chose 'carpe noctum' for his password. The elf in the portrait had quirked an eyebrow, but accepted the phrase without questioning it. Stepping into the first room in the suite, he was pleasantly greeted by Caius, Selena, and Lunaris. As he pet the animals, he took a look around.

The first room he'd walked into appeared to be both living room and study. An elegantly carved wooden desk and chair polished to a dark sheen sat in a corner out of the way, next to a tall, wide bookshelf that already contained a handful of books. The floor was the same polished wood; the walls were a calm beige color. There was a large, dark blue carpet embroidered with gold that covered much of the center of the floor; on top of that rug, directly facing the large fireplace, was large, overstuffed dark blue sofa with a large elegant coffee table – again polished dark wood – sitting in front of it. Directly to the side of the coffee table, facing the entrance, was an overstuffed armchair the same color as the sofa. Harry was relieved not to see the room decorated in Gryffindor colors; as fond as he was of red and gold, he'd grown a bit sick of it in the Gryffindor dorms. The only thing that bothered him about the room was just how large everything was; he was already one of the shortest people in his school year, and all of the large furniture just made him feel _smaller_.

"Master Harry," the portrait's quiet call broke through the nekoshin's thoughts. "Professor Lupin wishes to speak with you."

Harry sighed. "Let him in."

The portrait swung open, and Remus stepped through. "Glamour and shirt off, now," he ordered.

Harry scowled at him. "I'm mostly healed, Remus."

Remus scowled back. "Then you wouldn't need the glamour. Now, Harry."

Harry looked away, and muttered the counterspell to the glamour. There was a moment of silence, then Remus gently lifted one of Harry's still-bruised forearms, pulling back the sleeve and inspecting it carefully.

Harry watched as fury began to darken the werewolf's tawny eyes, and spoke quickly to calm him. "It doesn't hurt anymore, really. Fred and George gave me some balm, and it helped a lot."

"You promised you'd write to me if this happened again, cub," Remus said very softly. He was not calm.

Harry flushed. After a moment, he mumbled, "They left me alone because I threatened them with Sirius. It wasn't until my Inheritance hit that Vernon lost it, and I got out a couple of days later anyway."

Remus released his arm and stroked a hand through Harry's hair. "Harry, you should tell someone about this."

"I told you and Siri."

"Only because we found out by accident," Remus said sternly. "Cub, if you don't tell the authorities, the Dursleys won't be punished for their behavior. And they _should_ be punished."

Harry shook his head. "I'm never going back there again. I'm not going to let what they did haunt me. If I drag out my ancient history, it'll just give the _Prophet_ another excuse to plaster my face on their front page again. Half the people in Britain will think I'm being an attention-seeking git, and the other half will be full of pity for 'poor, pitiful Harry Potter.' I've had enough of both to last a lifetime, thanks."

"Harry –"

"No, Remus," Harry said firmly, and his tone told Remus to drop the subject. He did, though he was determined to bring it up again later. Not too soon, though; Remus was going to contact Sirius at the earliest opportunity. The Dursleys had been warned. It was hardly the werwolf's fault if they chose to ignore those warnings.

Remus looked around. "Very nice, Harry. Have you looked at the other rooms?"

"Not yet."

A lively bark and a bit of meowing drew Remus' attention to the floor. "Well, hello." He crouched down and smiled at the animals inspecting him curiously. He offered a hand for them to smell and smiled when the puppy licked it enthusiastically. "You must be Caius."

Harry nodded. "The kitten to the left is Selena, the one on the right is Lunaris." The kneazles sniffed politely at Remus' offered hand; Lunaris, the more active of the two, batted at it playfully for a moment, then licked his finger delicately.

Remus scratched Lunaris gently behind her ears, and the other two immediately demanded similar attention. "You lucked out in pets, Harry."

Harry tilted his head. "How so?"

"Most dogs run far and fast from werewolves, and cats aren't far behind them. Your three are far more brave than most."

Harry cracked a smile. "Fits, then, for a Gryffindor, right?"

Remus smiled back. "Right." He started to straighten up from the crouch he'd used to reach the animals, and all three immediately protested, pawing at his legs. "Oh." Remus' amber eyes visibly went soft, and Harry hid a smile.

"Keep them company for a bit?" he requested. "I need to unpack."

Remus hesitated, but the pleading cuteness of the animals won him over. He sat cross-legged on the floor, and all three animals immediately climbed all over him. Harry left his delighted pseudo-godfather on the floor and headed through the door on the opposite side of the room from the main entrance to enter a medium-sized bedroom.

The bedroom was decorated in the same colors as the living room, but Harry was relieved to see that the furniture was not oversized. The bed was a full-sized four-post affair – bigger than his old dorm bed but not ridiculously large. There were several squishy pillows of varying sizes on the bed, decorated in a blue that was a few shades lighter than royal blue color that dominated the bedspread and the carpet on the floor. A small but elegantly designed dresser and mirror stood opposite the bed. Another door to the side of the dresser opened to reveal a very nice Jacuzzi bathroom done all in white marble. A glance back into the bedroom showed Harry another smaller door set discretely in a corner, leading to a fair-sized closet. Overall, Harry was pleased with his new rooms.

His trunk, Hedwig's cage, the kittens' litter box, all of the animals' toys, and various odds and ends he'd accumulated at WWW were stacked neatly at the foot of the bed. He unpacked his robes, hung them in the closet, and tucked his meager collection of decent-fitting muggle clothing into the dresser. His trunk was dragged into the closet, then he turned his attention to what was left. He eyed the litter box and animal toys and made a mental note to ask the house elves if there was a separate place from his bedroom to put them.

Three framed photographs were set carefully on the dresser: one of his parents, grinning and waving, just out of Hogwarts; one of Sirius and Remus, snapped during a stolen moment in Hogsmeade, the two of them rough-housing in the deep snow outside of the immediate village; and one of Harry, Fred, George, Seamus, Dean, and Hermione clowning around at WWW – well, the boys were clowning, Hermione was shaking her head in exasperation and pretending she didn't know them.

There was a box of books on a variety of random subjects that he brought to the living room and lined neatly on the bookshelf. The nightstand and graceful silver lamp Fred and George had given him as a housewarming gift were unshrunk and situated beside his bed. He'd been curious as to how the lamp was going to work without electricity; the twins had created a magical light orb that turned with a snap of the fingers and off with another snap. It occasionally needed to be magically charged up again, but that was no trouble for Harry. His Firebolt was set to lean against the wall of his bedroom, the broomstick servicing kit next to it. Hedwig's cage went in the closet; her perch was set on the other side of the bed from the nightstand.

Harry returned to the living room to grin at Remus. All three animals had fallen asleep in his lap, perfectly content. "Will you carry Caius?" Harry asked, crouching down and gathering the dozing kittens into his arms. Remus nodded, and followed Harry into the bedroom with the puppy.

Harry set the kittens into the little plush sleeping box he'd left at the foot of the bed, and tilted his head to indicated the separate box next to the kittens' for Caius. Remus gently set the sleeping puppy down and followed Harry back into the living room.

"I need to go get ready for the Welcome Feast tonight," Remus said, resting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'll see you later, cub."

Harry smiled up at him and gave his pseudo-godfather a quick hug. "See you."

Remus strode out of the private rooms with two things on his mind. The first was calling Sirius on one of their two-way mirrors and making a plan to deal with the Dursleys. The second was to hunt down Rowena Ravenclaw and demand an explanation as to why he smelled _mating_ pheromones coming from the two male Founders whenever they looked at Harry. Harry had been hurt enough in his life; Remus wouldn't tolerate older men eyeing his cub like a piece of meat. As for Sirius' reaction to that little tidbit of information…Remus smirked.


End file.
